The invention relates to a vacuum handling device for fixing or transporting workpieces, composed of several components, wherein at least one of the components is equipped with an RFID tag and the RFID tag is provided with an RFID chip and an antenna.
Vacuum handling devices are frequently used to manipulate, i.e., it lift, heavy loads, to move these loads to another location where they are set down again, or to hold or clamp workpieces for machining. The vacuum handling devices are composed of a number of components which have to be matched to each other, so that the vacuum handling devices can perform their tasks in a safe process. In particular, this is not always guaranteed with components which are used over a longer time and subject to wear. It can also not always be ensured that copied components of inferior quality satisfy all the specifications of the vacuum handling device.
For this reason, it was proposed in DE 10 2006 023 886 A1 to equip the component to be monitored with an RFID tag. It can be determined by reading the RFID tag if this is an original component. In addition, other data, such as date of manufacture, the place of manufacture, the serial number and so on can be stored in the RFID tag.
However, integration of an RFID tag in the component alone does not guarantee that the vacuum handling device can not be longer manipulated. For example, an original component with the RFID tag can be placed in the range of the reading device of the vacuum handling device, so that the reading device can be fooled and hence assumes that the vacuum handling device is equipped with an original component. However, it is impossible to detect if the original component is actually used in the vacuum handling device.
RFID tags are disclosed in WO 2007/0628949 A1, EP 1 750 412 A2 and EP 1 724 705 A1; however, the aforementioned problem can also not be solved with these types of RFID tags.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a vacuum handling device which is guarantees a reliable process.